Challenge Early College High School
Challenge Early College High School is a small high school with personalized instruction for each student. Challenge Early College provides an accelerated, college preparatory learning program, allowing students to combine high school and college-level classes tuition free. (The traditional process takes six years—four years of “free” public high school and two years of college classes for which one has to pay.)
A milestone in collaboration, Challenge Early College High School is the brainchild of the Houston Independent School District, Houston Community College System and Houston A+ Challenge. The school, which opened in August 2003, served approximately 90 students in grades 9 and 10 its first year. The campus is adding a grade level each year, eventually educating 400 students in grades 9-13.
Young people who will be best served include:
- Those who prefer smaller classroom sizes and need more individualized attention to progress academically.
- Those who require economic assistance to receive a college degree.
- Those who are college-bound and are challenged by advanced and accelerated learning programs.
Challenge Early College High School students will attend a variety of advanced academics programs, college and technology classes, and individualized educational courses. In this new model of schooling, students will be given more time when needed to finish a course. They will begin taking HCC courses as soon as they finish the prerequisite high school level material. Students will be encouraged to continue their studies and transfer to upper level institutions.
Challenge Early College is designed to give students the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college or the workforce. The school is a key part of HISD’s overall strategy to increase the high school graduation rate. The HISD Board of Trustees in June set a goal of graduating 85 percent of all high school students by 2007.
Challenge Early College is a Houston Independent School District charter school open to students living in the HISD attendance zone. The first early college high school in Texas, It is located on the HCC Southwest Campus at:
5601 West Loop South
Houston, TX, 77081
For more information, contact Justin Fuentes, principal, at (713) 664-9712 or click on the following links:
http://www.challengehs.org
http://www.houstonaplus.org/news/nr03-06.htm. |
